Eldritch Horror Theatre

[Task Evaluation: Sin-Purging Nightmare]

[Giving up on thinking does not necessarily mean you cannot find happiness.

By opening their minds to an unknowable existence, the gentlemen of Baerluk were able to enter the brain dance, enjoying indescribable peace.

The sensation was so exquisite they believed it to be the great guidance of a High-Tier Existence, willingly losing themselves to it.

They chased that incredible state, hoping to maintain it for as long as possible.

And Collins—the only one capable of maintaining it constantly—was deemed to possess the purest soul, making him the undisputed immaculate one.

The greedy transcendent Helom attempted to claim this miracle, only to perish and transform into a Black Sheep that disrupted the order.

Now that the filth he brought has been purged, Baerluk has once again returned to peace.]

[Kills: None]

[Rewards: SAN Value +20; inspiration +5][Special Reward: Lie]

[Current SAN Value: 215, Current inspiration: 61]

[Play event recap?]

In the Warehouse, Fu Qian sat in his chair, leisurely listening to the notifications echoing in his ears.

He had held this exact posture back in The Bookstore, making for a seamless transition.

The results proved his idea had been effective. Old Man Nate was ultimately buried with his son, no longer living on in anyone’s consciousness.

Judging from the task summary, Dean Collins had genuinely been in a continuous state of brain dance, and Helom had indeed come for the brain dance.

Nate’s son, Sean, might have been telling the truth when he claimed he would never betray his father. However, since the young man recognized that his father’s condition was abnormal, his reason for leaving home might very well have been to search for a way to save him.

Such a search inevitably meant making contact with supernatural forces. No matter how cautious he was, it would be hard to avoid drawing the attention of those with hidden agendas.

And once he fell into the hands of a demigod, keeping secrets was no longer a matter of sheer willpower.

Fu Qian sighed and lowered his head to examine his special reward.

The item called Lie was a teardrop-shaped gemstone practically overflowing with radiant, iridescent colors.

Even in the dim lighting of the Warehouse, it sparkled with a dreamlike radiance.

And its size—roughly that of a chicken egg—was more than enough to make 99.9 percent of women scream in delight.

[Name: Lie]

[Type: Trait]

[Effect: Upon fusion, the Demigod Form will solidify into the Pale Prophet.]

[Note: This process is irreversible.]

[Remark: A false promise is still a promise.]

Another trait?

Fu Qian immediately perked up.

He really hadn’t expected to obtain a trait from this little vacation.

After all, this was only a Grade 3 Item.

Did the system think the Insect of Corrosion was too much of a trap, and as compensation, turned this subsequent task into a massive giveaway?

But now the question was: should he use it or not?

Fu Qian toyed with the Lie in his hand.

Unlike the Mist of the Abyss from last time—which he had essentially test-driven during the task, giving him a clear understanding of its post-fusion state—this was different.

This time, all he had was a name.

Pale Prophet?

Judging from his past dozen or so tasks, the rewards he obtained were usually related to the task itself.

Given that this trait was called Lie, it was easy to connect it to the brain dance that had so thoroughly enthralled everyone.

Could it be that upon fusing with it, he would also transform into some unknown, great entity and recruit a bunch of highly imaginative old men to write scripts for him?

The problem was, his scripts were usually vulgar and violent; the old men’s frail bodies might not be able to handle it!

After mulling it over for a long time, Fu Qian eventually set the Lie down.

For now, he could still somewhat handle the troubles brought by being a Blank-Slate Demigod.

Moreover, Fu Qian was full of confidence about obtaining other traits in the future.

Under these circumstances, rashly choosing a form with an unknown background—especially when the process couldn’t be reversed—was not a wise idea.

Based on previous experience, different forms corresponded to different paths. Once locked in, his abilities and advancement methods would be restricted, so there was no need to rush.

However, the name of this Demigod Form wasn’t bad. He would keep it as a backup option for now.

Unlike the intelligence-dropping Mist of the Abyss, Fu Qian decided to list the Pale Prophet as a viable choice.

Specifically, it meant he would wait and see, but consume it directly if necessary.

[Authority Upgraded]

Just then, a new notification rang out.

[Flexible Work System: You may now enter the Warehouse at any time. You are required to complete four days of work per week. Current: 4/4]

This was a thing?

Fu Qian paused in surprise. He had been extremely dedicated to his work recently, so he hadn’t actually felt any restrictions.

But this was good too; it made his schedule much more flexible.

Although he didn’t usually have anything he absolutely had to do, having more options was always a plus.

Overall, Fu Qian was highly satisfied with today’s haul.

Just as he was preparing to activate the Imprint to return, he suddenly thought of something. Halting his movements, he instead dug out the Emissary mask.

It seemed he hadn’t gone back to The Bookstore to check for mail in two days, and there was also the information on the Kawasaki Family he had asked Wen Li to investigate.

As he placed the mask on his face, the scene before his eyes rapidly warped.

”Ah! So comfortable!”

Waking up on the Bookstore Second Floor once more, Fu Qian leisurely ambled downstairs, plopped into the chair behind the counter, propped his feet up on the bar, and stretched.

Now this was living. Bernard truly does not deceive me.

In Baerluk, that scruffy bookstore owner had left quite a deep impression on Fu Qian.

Speaking of which, shouldn’t he open up shop for a bit?

Amid his thoughts, Fu Qian suddenly furrowed his brow and looked toward the door.

It seemed a customer had already arrived before he had even opened.

Moreover, this aura felt somewhat familiar.

Fu Qian remained seated, peering outside through the window with keen interest.

A moment later, a young woman dressed in a professional business suit appeared in front of the bookstore.

It was actually her?

Fu Qian instantly recognized the visitor. It was none other than big boss Yuan Shan’s secretary, whom he had met the last time he went to the Night Watchers Base.

He glanced at the object in her hand and noticed a snow-white envelope.

He had a pretty good idea of what she was here for.

Did they already want him to fulfill his promise so soon?

After a moment’s thought, Fu Qian remained in his chair. Instead, he grabbed a ring of keys from the counter and tossed them out with a flick of his wrist.

Clatter!

Outside, the female secretary was just crouching down, preparing to slip the letter under the gap in the door, when she was caught off guard by a ring of keys suddenly being tossed out at her.

”Open the door!”

A shout came from within.

”Mister Fang?”

The secretary was visibly startled. After freezing for a few seconds, she began testing the keys on the bookstore’s lock, one by one.

”Looking for me?”

Once the bookstore door finally opened, Fu Qian greeted her.

”Yes.”

She was quite quick at regulating her emotions; by now, the surprise on her face had entirely faded.

”The Chief sent me to find you. She said there is an important matter she needs your help with, but unfortunately, the door was closed both times I came.”

She waved the envelope in her hand.

”So, following the Chief’s prior instructions, I was going to leave you a letter.”

”I didn’t expect you to actually be in the shop.”

”Let’s not waste any time. We need to head out quickly!”